Classic Computer Ads
July 16, 2009 at 04:08:38 AM, by Gilberto J. Perera
All you have to do is grab an old copy of National Geographic or Popular Science, skim through the magazine and in no time you will find yourself staring at one of the ads for, “The ultimate in personal computing…”
The problem is that this ultimate computer only has 4 kilobytes, yes 4 kilobytes of RAM, that isn’t enough for a blank Word document. The ultimate computer also sports a 32X64 character video display, a keyboard, and complete audio cassette interface which serves as the storage medium.
My generation never met any of these ‘antiquities’ I personally didn’t come across computers until about 1998 so I never experienced using a computer with 4 kilobytes of RAM, but I can only imagine the amount of work that could be done with a machine of that capability. As a 25 year old, not only is the performance something to gawk at, but also the advertisements used to sell these ‘relics’.
For example, Franklin Computer Corporation released an Apple II clone dubbed the Ace 1000 which was subsequently replaced by the Ace 1200 in 1982, pictured in the ad below.
- 128 kilobytes of RAM
- Built-in Floppy Drive
- Serial & Parallel Interfaces
- Upper and lower case
- Numeric pad
I understand the premise behind the use of a Ben Franklin look alike, but does it make any sense? Does Ben Franklin or his baker’s dozen have anything to do with computers other than sharing the Franklin name? Why would this appeal to anybody? Why would anyone think this would sell? I guess bad marketing and Apple were the factors that lead to Franklin’s eventual demise as a personal computer manufacturer in 1985.
One of my favorite ads is the Compaq Portable ad pictured above (the Compaq is the ‘portable’ machine pictured at the far right). The ad is interesting because it describes the competition as, “Hard to carry, Hard to read, and Hard to expand.” If you really look at it, the Compaq Portable isn’t as small as they make it out to be, it’s actually as deep as the IBM pictured on the far left and larger than the Apple (pictured second to last on the left).
Advertising agencies certainly don’t create ads like they used to. When was the last time you saw a Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, or and Acer computer next to each other, compared that is outside of a review? I have been reading PC Magazine, PC World, and Popular Science for some time now and I have yet to see something similar to the ad above.
The following video from YouTube highlights some of the trendiness associated with the ownership of a Compaq Portable pictured above. I’m still trying to figure out the trendy part.
- 80188 processor running @ 7.16 MHz
- 640 Kilobytes of RAM
In this ad Sharp is harping about its new laptop computer. If they want to emphasize how small it is I think I would have gone with toddler or the family Labrador, but not a small baby that gives the illusion that the laptop is big. A baby that size probably weighs about 20lbs, they are pretty much telling you Your First Laptop will be like carrying your baby on your lap while you work…without the giggles…not very appealing.
- 16 bit processor
- 16 kilobytes of RAM, exp to 48k
- 34 kilobytes of ROM
- Cartridge drive
- 1 year of warranty
One of the better ads comes from Texas Instruments. In the ad pictured above we can see that they are appealing to a much broader market, they are selling the computer as something for the average Joe, but also for the average Einstein. This model promises to provide users with the capability to compose music, time management, aid in making informed financial decisions, the ability to design personal fitness programs, and other features.
Similarly Apple’s advertisement for the Apple II, pictured below, appeals to the computer user at home. Although a little bit on the awkward side due to the location of the computer (it looks like he is sitting in a nook or dining room) it still sends the message that the personal computer can be used at home not just the office.
Today’s computer advertisements provide consumers with a glimpse of the functionality offered by the device much like the older advertisements. The difference is that the majority of the ads do not include people. Instead the ads describe product and in some instances, similar to the gamin laptop ad above, they are enhanced to portray the products intended audience. In this case the gaming laptop’s ad shows some familiar game related objects (tanks, chainsaws, airplanes, and others) to reflect its intended purpose. As witnessed, computer advertisements have evolved to better match the audience for which the product is intended
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refurbished computers at 03:59, December 20, 2009
I never experienced using a computer with 4 kilobytes of RAM, but I can only imagine the amount of work that could be done with a machine of that capability. http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com/
refurbished computers at 03:58, December 20, 2009
I never experienced using a computer with 4 kilobytes of RAM, but I can only imagine the amount of work that could be done with a machine of that capability. http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com/